


Much Needed

by TyJax_EeOwen



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arcades, Because It's Stucky, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers Feels, Eventual Romance, Jensen_Rogers made me do it, M/M, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve and Bucky In A Trailer, Stucky - Freeform, Stucky is Love, Theme Park Vacation, Vacation, stucky is life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-26 13:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12557932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyJax_EeOwen/pseuds/TyJax_EeOwen
Summary: Steve thought that he and Bucky, mostly Bucky, deserved a much-needed vacation from their daily lives and decided to rent out a big trailer in a holiday theme park.Bucky doesn't really like it, but that's not going to stop Steve from trying to make it easier on the other Soldier. Old men can have fun too and he'll stop at nothing to keep Bucky happy.[I'm writing this while on actual vacation. What I do through the day will be edited into a Stucky story. Seven/eight days of glorious Stucky-Vacation]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xWinter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xWinter/gifts).



> I'm writing this as an edited Stucky edition of my actual Vacation in a trailer with family.  
> Hope ya'll appreciate this.
> 
> Gift for you, JENSEN!!!

Bucky was cautious, on guard and still sharp of his surroundings, waiting for something or someone to jump out and try to attack him, regardless that he’d been assured by both Stark and Steve that were they were was safe and that no one would attack them. The only thing that had gone through Bucky’s mind during that moment was _‘he was never safe’_ and though that was mildly depressing, it was true. And Steve had to acknowledge that and understand that Bucky would always be on guard. It was a default setting at this point in his life.

He stood there, staring up at the big wheel-less trailer, eyeing it over for any instability that Steve may not have seen, eyeing it over for any way that someone could break in and he’d already found five by just standing there ahead of it, having not moved since they parked up and climbed out. It was so open, so easy to climb in and attack them. They were practically a big glowing sign hovering over their heads that said ‘Hydra! Here we are! Come get the Winter Soldier!’. This was stupid and if he’d had a choice in this matter, he’d have chosen to stay in the damn Tower with Stark. This made him feel too exposed.

He glanced at his side, eyeing Steve and saw that he was completely oblivious to his internal distress. He was smiling, staring at the trailer like it was their salvation or something. He shook his head and turned to look back at the building, pinpointing the moment when Steve left his side to enter the building, a key in his hand. He gradually followed, still watching and calculating, noting down every detail he could so that he could watch their backs while they were here. He didn’t trust all the smiling faces of the families and kids and people walking their dogs. Any of them could be Hydra or some other Organization that felt like they could use him for their own benefit.

The Soldier stepped up onto the porch on the side of the trailer and watched as Steve stuck the key in and opened the door, stepping in without any consideration that someone could’ve been inside, regardless of the door being locked. Like he’d already pointed out mentally, there were still ways that someone could get inside, besides the locked door.

He swiftly followed him in, sidestepping the other soldier so that he could survey the surroundings. All the quiet and he eyed the place with a sharp eye, the rest of his senses spreading out inside and he turned to the open door on his right, stepping in and opening the four doors in the narrow hallway, peeking in and then stepping in to search. The last door, the fifth one was ahead and he was just as fast with searching in there.

Once he found nothing, closed the doors and headed back out into the living room slash kitchen, looking towards Steve, who was standing there with his arms crossed and an expected smile on his face, like he knew that Bucky would do that before Bucky did it.

He said nothing and then took in the layout of the room they were standing in. From the door, the small kitchen was ahead, to the right had been the narrow hallway with the bathroom on the right, shower on the left and a master bedroom with a supply closet slash extra bedroom at the end of the hall. To the left was the living space, a large L shaped couch with a tv against the wall across and a table against another couch in the corner. It was simple, liveable. Even somewhat appealing.

Bucky took a breath, forcing himself to hold back on any urges to re-check the large, wheel-less trailer and turned to head back out of the building, climbing down the porch steps to get their bags. He needed to keep busy so that he wouldn’t want to climb out of his own skin. He opened the blue piece of trash buggies trunk and grabbed a few of them, the heavier ones and headed back into the trailer to set them down and continued to do it over and over until everything was inside, much to Steve’s protests that they could do it later and just relax. _Who needed relaxation? Bucky didn’t._

\--------------------

“I don’t like this,” Bucky commented for the umpteenth time, staring at the screen ahead of him with his body tense and taut from internal frustration and irritation. Steve had almost literally dragged him over to the couch to sit and watch tv, to relax and take a breather. There was even a mug of coffee sitting on the coffee table ahead of him like Steve set it there for him to help him. He knew that Bucky liked coffee. He drank gallons while in the Tower. Was it meant to help him relax? He wasn’t sure.

“I know,” was all Steve replied as he stared at the screen as well, actually watching the movie that was on in contrast to Bucky, who wasn’t paying attention to the people talking, acting and failing. Seriously, who bought that these days? There was no way that anyone would be that in love as soon as they met each other. It was stupid. Love, at first sight, wasn’t a real thing.

“Then why are we still here?” Bucky glanced at his side, eyeing the other man and saw that he still had a small smile on his lips. He stared at him expectantly, eyeing him harder when Steve turned to look at him, the smile still there and he just shrugged like that was a good enough answer, and then returned to watch the screen.

Bucky frowned, huffing slightly and continued to stare, trying to find any telltale sign that there was motive behind their trip, behind the fact that Steve wanted them to stay there for a whole week, just the two of them, a lot of luggage and a lot of cash. He assumed that the money would be spent on the necessities and some trinkets that could be bought from the tourist stores along the bank of the beach. Maybe ice cream and sugar donuts and the theme park too. He remembered that Steve liked theme park rides. Not the Cyclone in Coney Island, definitely not that, and Steve voices his dislike about it many times before. He held it against him, even if he didn’t seem serious about it.

“Because you need a break, and so do I,” that wasn’t really an answer he was looking for. There was no motive or action that he could pick up behind the meaning of the statement except that the man wanted to relax. Bucky couldn’t do that. He didn’t know how. What could he do? He needed to do _something._

He wasn’t _-programmed-_ to do nothing. He had to be doing something or he’d be irritated and fidgety. He didn’t want to just sit around and his currently bouncing knee was an example of that.

“I don’t want a break,” he answered quietly, his voice deeper but softer like he was uncertain when he’d said it. He shifted slightly to reach down for his coffee and took a deep gulp, taking half of the hot mug in one swallow before setting it back down.

“What you _want_ and what you _need_ are two completely different things,” Steve replied, still watching the tv, but he didn’t really seem to be taking any of it in in favor of listening to Bucky, his focus now on him instead of the screen. “Tell you what… finish your coffee and we’ll go to an arcade. At least then we won’t be doing nothing,” that sounded better than sitting here and watching a movie that they both clearly weren’t interested in.

Bucky reached out for his coffee and finished the rest of it off before placing the mug down and then glancing over to Steve who was staring at him with both brows raised. Guess he hadn’t expected that.

\--------------------

There was so much going on inside the Arcade. Bright lights, loud music booming in the background and kids running around with too much freedom while their parents were either playing on a machine or running after them, calling their names with warning. It didn’t seem that different from what he could remember of his time as a kid, being yelled at for running off in places like this. Granted, the arcades in their time weren’t extravagant and not nearly as… active? There were never machines like this or games and stalls like the ones he and Steve were passing by.

Also, he was thankful to Stark for the skin cover for his arm. No one took any notice of them and no one stared except a few woman that took interest as they strode by.

“Some of these machines let out tickets that can be collected and by the end, depending on how many you have, you can get a prize at the desk over there,” Bucky glanced over towards the desk Steve had gestured towards, seeing the woman sitting there like it was a terrible job, an earpiece winding down to her mouth. There were toys and such hung up on the wall behind her, a lot more stacked behind the glass window of the desk.

“Sounds simple enough,” he replied with a shrug and continued looking around, catching sight of the machines that actually give out the tickets, some being obvious like the massive spin-wheel with images of tickets and how many you could win on them, and then there were games with balls, where you throw the balls in holes and win tickets that way. Some were penny machines, where you continuously slot in pennies and randomly win a few tickets at a time.

It all seemed somewhat interesting. He knew what the ticket machines were. There was such a thing back in their time, so it was nothing new. It just seemed more clear now with more ways of winning the tickets, simpler too. It seemed like anyone could reach 5k tickets now if they had enough cash with them.

“So… which game first?” Steve asked, his tone highly bemused and Bucky glanced around to him, his expression unreadable for a moment.

\--------------------

Bucky stared at the screen in concentration, both he and Steve holding fake guns up to the big screen ahead of them in this big box with no doors. He was watching the screen carefully, waiting for the next pop up. As soon as the fake guy with the gun appeared on screen, he took him out, aiming away from the hostage behind him as he died and then hit the next target that appeared, Steve gaining his own points from his side of the screen. The tickets were coming out fast with each hit, a number of tickets being tripled since they hadn’t missed a shot yet and hadn’t hit any of the hostages in the game.

He would admit that he was more relaxed than earlier now that he was actually doing something and this was as close to what he found as self-assuring as he could get while in the arcade.

They continued for another few minutes until the game was over and they had won 4k worth of tickets together, as a pair and they climbed out of the game box, both striding around again and finding a ball game, something that looked like pinball, but without all of the intricate panels that slowed the ball or stopped it. The bottom of the game had a spinning circle with holes everywhere, numbers of how many tickets could be won on each circle.

A few minutes there and a longer time on the penny machines and they were relaxed, both smiling, though Bucky’s was much finer and hidden. He was still guarded and his senses were sharp, but he was less tense, his senses and guard being a constant side thought that kept up with everything around him in the background while his main focus was Steve and the games and ticket winning.

Air-hockey wasn’t a ticket winning game, but it still drew his attention and Steve seemed to see that. The soldier watched as the man directed them towards it and stuck the money in. There was a moment of nothing, silence and standing there before Steve dropped a disk onto the table and showed him that they were meant to hit it back and forth to get it into the small slot at either end of the metal field. It was like football? He understood that much.

The moment the physical explanation was done the disk was flying across the table and he easily shot it back and thus began the battle of trying to get the first score. It took ages, minutes upon minutes and it drew a few people around, everyone seeing that they were still on not points and were evenly matched at air hockey. It’d come close so many times! Bucky was even biting his lip at this point because he was so caught up in the game. He barely caught a glance of Steve when he hit it at a weird angle and finally managed to get a point. Though he had a big sneaky suspicion that Steve gave it to him. At that angle, even though it was odd, he could have hit it.

There was a grin shared between them and Bucky let a smile show as Steve retrieved the disk. He would maybe, probably admit that he was having some fun because he was. He was having fun.

After a few more long stretched out minutes of trying to win points from each other at air-hockey, to which Bucky won because he knew for a fact that Steve would and let him win that game. Probably because it was taking so long to get a point because they were that matched in the game, but also because Steve was a huge softy.

They were walking back to the trailer, the day having gradually turned late since the time flew passed while they were in the arcades. The air-hockey game was probably the longest time taken up, the shooter game probably having been the second.

“You let me win,” Bucky commented in their silence, a soft smirk on his face as they rounded the corner to their trailer and headed for the porch steps.

“I have no clue what you’re talkin’ about,” Bucky could see the grin on the Captain’s face and he let out a bemused huff.


	2. Day Two

Like Bucky had expected, the first night was sleepless. He’d been wide awake, his caution and sharp senses keeping him permanently on guard while listening out for anything and everything. 

He’d shared a room with Steve like he sometimes did back at the Tower. His need for someone he trusted to watch his back still there and strong and Steve was trusted, his most trusted. The man was incapable of stabbing him in the back and he knew that. Steve would never. So they shared a bed, lying a few feet apart with their backs to each other.

And his expectations continued to be confirmed when he was the first one out of bed, the first one to leave the bedroom and enter the kitchen slash living room to get a big mug of coffee. It was when he was reaching into the cupboard that he saw the box of Toffee Coffee. He paused and stared at it, a curious frown on his face and he picked it up. He’d remembered having a box to himself back in the Tower. Steve bought it for him after he first tasted it a few weeks ago and they hadn’t found it anywhere else since.

Without a second thought, he made himself a mug of the Toffee Coffee, a mug ready to be poured for when Steve got out of bed. He headed over to the couch and sat down, the mug still in hand and he kicked his socked feet up onto the coffee table, crossing them at the ankle and leaning back in his seat while he stared at nothing ahead of him. The sun was out, but it was still mildly cold, the heat not as comfortable as he’d have liked it to be. It was October, so it didn’t surprise him. It was a tad chilly, but there were heaters placed everywhere inside the trailer and he’d heard Steve switching them on before they actually got into bed.

Bucky sat there, holding his mug close and he glanced towards the tv, staring at the black screen and then reached out for the remote that Steve had left on the couch beside him. He was still listening out, his senses still sharp and alert for anything, just in case and he figured that Halloween being tomorrow would draw out the irritating kids early, the ones that toilet papered trailers and houses and threw eggs. He knew that if that were to happen that he’d be anxious, too alert and ready to escape and he knew that Steve didn’t want that.

Bucky was trying to relax, he really was, but it was easier said than done. He tried distractions too.  _ It was only the second day of this vacation, give him a break. At least he was actually trying. _

He sat there for a long moment, simply skipping through channels and taking about a second to see what he’d landed on before continuing on through the list. He eventually just stopped and set the remote down, a black and white movie now playing. The Mark of Zorro? He wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed interesting just by the fact that he was staring at a man clad in black with a mask on, wielding a sword.

The Soldier was drinking his coffee, watching tv and hadn’t really been paying much attention to the things he knew were neutral and non-threatening to him, Steve getting out of bed included, and was aware of when he’d entered the room, glancing between him and the kitchen, where Bucky had his coffee ready to have water poured in and had the box of Toffee Coffee sitting behind it, to show that Bucky had seen it and indicated that he’d used it.

“G’morning,” Steve said tiredly, a smile on his face as he stepped into the kitchen and went about finishing the prepping of the coffee. Bucky was still drinking his and only glanced over. It was still early, not even nine in the morning yet. It was maybe nine-thirty? He wasn’t sure, he hadn’t checked. He assumed it because that was what his body clock was telling him.

“Mornin’,” he replied curtly and returned to watching the movie. He was still on guard, but no tenser than he was the day before. He was a tad more relaxed still, though it still didn’t deter his thoughts that they were still an easy target where they were.

“What’s that?” the other soldier gestured to the tv and he simply shrugged. He had no real idea. He hadn’t watched it from the beginning or anything. All he really knew was that the main character was named Diego and he was this Zorro persona and that he was some kind of royal? Oh, and he had two women, one a soon to be wed and the other was some kind of mistress? He had no idea. Oh, and the priest was helping him.

“The Mark of Zorro,” he answered eventually and sat his half-empty mug on his thigh as he continued to watch the movie. “It was maybe halfway through the movie when I stopped on it. I haven’t really got a full plot to explain to you,” he shrugged, taking a short glance at the man and the tv and watching as Steve strode over, a bowl of cereal in hand a mug of coffee in the other and he set them down on the coffee table before heading back into the kitchen to get the second bowl. Bucky hadn’t really thought about cereal. He hadn’t really thought about anything that morning. He’d been acting on autopilot, and that was  _ get up, get coffee, sit down to drink it _ and that was really it. He tended to be down in the range or gym after that, but there was no range or gym in the trailer park that he was aware of.

“I think I’ve heard of it. Tony said that the main character looked like Howard when he was young,” as soon as Howard Stark was mentioned he’d only just managed to catch his flinch, hiding it immediately and replacing it with thought. And sure enough, there was a similarity there, he could see it.

Once that was out of the way, they sat there until the movie was over, empty mugs in hand and they’d just sat there in silence. Bucky still felt like he should be doing something, so the movie hadn’t stopped his fidgeting and shifting. He’d managed to tone it down, but that was it.

\--------------------

Another mug of coffee later and Steve had suggested that they go for a ride, to see the sites. Personally, public transport wasn’t the highest of Bucky’s day. He really wasn’t a fan because he couldn’t deal with a large group of people in a confined space. It made him a harder target, yes, but it wouldn’t stop people like Hydra. Necessary casualties, they would be deemed.

He’d been glad that the ride was fast and there hadn’t been too many people there. Only a few minutes and they were stepping off onto the sidewalk near a pier with a rocky shore and ocean water splashing up against the sharp, collective stones. The sun was beaming down, warming them now since it wasn’t long before midday would hit, which would be the warmest part of the day. They still wore hoodies regardless. The ocean breeze was cold.

Bucky and Steve were walking along the wide path that curved around the shore, both just staring out into the open expanse that the water was a part of and Bucky couldn’t explain the warmth he felt from actually seeing something that beautiful. The way the sun hit the water made colors in the water that completely contrasted to each other. The sun made orange waves against blue, making it seem brighter and it was breathtaking.

Steve must’ve been thinking the same because when Bucky managed to take his eyes away from it he saw that Steve was completely taken by it, staring at it and it almost seemed like he wasn’t registering anything else around him.

Bucky hadn’t seen him like that in a long time… in a really long time. Before he was deployed? When he’d taken that trip to the art museum and took Bucky with him because no one would let a kid into the place. Bucky had basically been pretending to be his guardian because he was so small that he was mistaken for a child. But he got to see the art, got to see all the incredible paintings and effort that most men and women put into their work.

The Soldier eyed Steve, taking a silent breath before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone. He set it to camera mode and held the device up, trying aim it perfectly to capture as much beauty as he could of the scenery, where the sun hit the water and the sun itself. He managed to catch the rocky shore as well and he snapped the picture, catching the view perfectly before pocketing his phone again. He’d send it to Steve later.

\--------------------

The rest of the morning until just after midday was spent strolling around, taking in the sites and eating out, if getting ice cream could be considered eating out. They took their time and Bucky was still sharp, watching and glancing around every so often to be reassured and to reassure himself that they were somewhat safe. 

They were returning to the trailer, heading around the corner towards the building after it turned three in the afternoon. They’d stopped off to grab a few things, a few necessities that may have been forgotten during packing before they left the Tower. There wasn’t much, but they had extra food and withdrew some money that Stark had put into the shared account that was created before they left.

They climbed the porch steps and headed into the trailer, setting things down in the kitchen area and Steve immediately went ahead and start unpacking and storing the things away while Bucky simply stood there after closing the door. He wasn’t really sure what he was meant to do now.

He lingered for a long moment and then headed into the living space, where the dining table was and sat down, half turned away from the table so that Steve was in his sights and so he had a full view of the room from his corner.

“I was thinking that maybe we can try the bigger arcade later? After dinner?” he heard Steve speak up and Bucky stared at him, watching as he continued to pack things away and then glance at him as if to see if he’d heard him and then looked expectant for an answer. Bucky just simply nodded for a moment, his hands moving to entangle between his knees, which his elbows were resting on.

“Yeah-, yeah. Sounds good,” he rushed when he saw that Steve had actually wanted a verbal answer and Bucky forced himself to stand, thinking that since Steve had packed things away, he could do the cooking. He didn’t want Steve doing all of the work.

\--------------------

It was safe to say that the food choice wasn’t that spectacular, regardless of Steve’s reaction when he actually made the food and set the plates on the table. The other soldier had really been insistent that he could cook and that it was no trouble, but Bucky left no space for protest or argument by the end. Steve gave in and Bucky cooked the meal. Mashed up potatoes, meatball and tomato soup and some chicken nuggets. It was… anti-climatic?  _ At least he made something. _

Steve continued to mention that he could’ve cooked, the sentences being said under his breath and Bucky only stared flatly at him with each one as he continued eating. It was… fun? He was bemused and almost quirked a smirk at his antics.

After the meal, they did indeed head to the bigger arcade where there were a lot more people and was packed, but thankfully, they could get around without so much as bumping into other people. They were swift and stealthy enough that they could get around without really being noticed until they actually stopped to play a few games.

And there were more games! Big ones! He was practically obsessed with this big screen game called  _ Space Invaders. _ He and Steve had two huge guns and shot down so many pixelated ships and UFO’s. It was great fun and he was sure that they spent a lot on it, more than the penny games and that ball game. They won a ton of tickets from it and as well as this water game. They shot water on this screen and it killed zombies? He saw no logic there, but it was really fun and they’d managed to play on most of the games, winning so many tickets in a single go of a game and winning more as time went on.

The time really flew passed and they had to insert the tickets into a machine that counted them and gave you a total number of how many tickets you collected on a receipt. It made it easier than walking around with thousands of tickets.

Eventually, sadly, they headed back to the trailer and it was already dark when they left the arcade, the cold weather and ocean air breezing past and taking Bucky’s hair with it. He was hit in the face by his own hair…

“Remember those hair bands I pointed out earlier?” Steve mentioned as they walked along the sandy path back towards the trailers. Bucky threaded his hair behind his ear in vain, the locks immediately slipping out and thwacking him in the face again.

“Yeah, you made a joke about them and my hair,” he replied simply and eventually just tucked most of his hair back and lifted his hood up, covering his thick head of hair and keeping it from being taken with the strong breeze.

“It wasn’t really a joke because I did actually buy them,” Bucky paused in walking, sending him his best  _ resting bitch face _ expression. He’d pay for that. He really would.


	3. Chapter 3

Steve could see that Bucky was calming down, he could. He saw him actually paying attention to other things, things that had something to do with the vacation and not something to do with bad guys or being alert all the time. Bucky didn’t really frantically glance around as much and he’d stopped snapping to attention whenever there was a sound inside and outside the trailer. He barely took any notice of it because he’d gradually stopped expecting it.

Steve had even seen him smile a few times, unintentional ones that he noticed and then hid. Too late, Steve saw them.

The next morning, the third day, Steve was lying there awake, listening to Bucky’s breathing. He was awake too, but lying there relaxing, letting himself take comfort in the silence and warmth that they were sharing under the blankets. There were a few feet between them, but it wasn’t much, enough that their separate heat twisted together and warmed them both up even in these colder mornings.

There was a few more minutes, stretched out and lingering before Steve silently shifted to lie on his back, staring up at the ceiling with an arm above the blanket, resting over his waist and he glanced beside him, seeing Bucky upper back and shoulders bare of the blanket. He was wearing a shirt, so he wasn’t really bare. His hair was strewn everywhere, long and not even tangled.

He let a smile cross his lips and just continued to watch him, his shoulders shifting slowly with his breathing. He was calm, half awake half asleep, which was a good thing. At least that meant that he may have had a few hours, minutes at least, but a nap was a nap and Bucky needed shut-eye whenever possible. Steve didn’t like to think that Bucky wasn’t getting sleep because he was always on guard and on edge. It wasn’t healthy.

“I can feel you staring,” Steve managed to not flinch when the silence was broken, Bucky’s voice overlapping it with a deep, gritty but quiet tone. It was confirmation that he did indeed sleep at some point during the night.

“Because I am,” he answered simply, waiting for a few lingering moments before Bucky shifted and turned over, joining him in lying on his back. His arm had slipped under his head to pillow it and he really did seem relaxed, which brought a smile to Steve’s face. He didn’t really care that the other man quirked a brow at him with a flat stare like he expected it because it was a Steve-thing.

“Why?” Bucky watched him calculatingly in return and Steve continued to smile at him, not really giving him an answer as he forced himself to sit up and leaned back against the headboard, his knee bending up to where he could rest his elbow on it and the other was pressed palm down into the mattress beside his hip.

“Because you’re unwound, or at least unwinding and relaxing,” he watched him, his smile growing and he let out a short, soft laugh. “It’s the reason you’re here. It’s the whole reason I wanted to book this vacation,” he glanced to Bucky, seeing his uncertain expression and the other man forced himself up as well, but only up to his elbow. Bucky should’ve already been aware that Steve had basically set all of this up for him, but he wasn’t sure if he was aware it was to help him. 

He probably already guessed. Steve knew that Bucky was far from stupid and could easily pick up on everything in a matter of mere seconds. He was all brain and brawn.

Steve watched as the soldier just stared, not giving him any kind of reply. He looked to be in thought and Steve gave him a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder and the side of his head before swinging his legs out of the bed and heading out of the room to make the first coffee of the day.

There wasn’t really much planned for the day. A stroll around the big market and the arcades again. He and Bucky decided on gathering as much as they could each day and putting it all together to win a big prize by the end of the vacation. They’d been to the arcades every day so far, two days and they’d managed to gather 4k, 2k  _ -plus- _ each and they’d had fun on a few of the machines that didn’t give out tickets. 

Steve strode into the kitchen and started brewing the coffee, making two bowls of cereal while the kettle heated and he could hear Bucky in the bedroom, his footsteps just heavy enough for him to hear them. He made the coffee and cereal and both sets on the table just as the other man emerged from the hallway.

\--------------------

The third day, and like he’d thought, they’d strolled through the market, Bucky buying a snapback cap-hat for fun because Steve complained between them about one of the hats with text on the top.  _ Smoke Weed Everyday, _ and  _ Call Me Daddy _ and things that should not be printed on hats or clothes of any kind.

Thankfully, Bucky hadn’t bought a crude or rude one. It was decent enough. He actually felt a slight warmth when he saw him return from the market wearing a bright blue hat, a red visor and it had his Shield imprinted on it,  _ Star Spangled Man With A Plan _ printed half above and half below the Shield. It was both mockery and pride and Steve didn’t know which to feel.

“You’re making fun of me,” Steve commented, a bemused scoff leaving him. He saw the smirk on Bucky’s face as soon as he said and there was a shrug as they continued walking, Bucky a step ahead with pocketed hands. He’d guess that the soldier would keep it and show it off when they were back at the Tower. He knew for a fact that Barton would take a kick out of this, especially since it was Bucky. They were both as thick as thieves. Criminal partner material.

\--------------------

After the market, they bought more ice cream, Steve letting Bucky look through the plethora of options. Back in their time, there was really only three, maybe four. Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, and Mint. There weren’t many back then and now there were so many that it was even hard for Steve to choose.

Eventually, Bucky went for the simplest option, which was mint, and they headed over to the pier, striding slowly down the long, wooden walkway that led to the big circular balcony overlooking the ocean. The sun was blearing again, the early afternoon heat allowing them to remove their jackets.

“Thanks by the way,” Steve had barely registered Bucky’s words when he turned to him and then replayed them, a smile hit his lips.

“What for? The ice cream?” he quirked a brow, his oblivious nature perking for a moment as they continued down the wide walkway. He saw a few kids already dressed for Halloween run by, Bucky seeming edgy when he saw that two of them were dressed up as the Winter Soldier and the other as Red-Skull. Honestly, he wasn’t surprised at Bucky’s reaction.

“No, for-... bringing me here,” Bucky was hesitant, Steve picked up on that almost immediately, like he wasn’t sure of if he should’ve thanked him for it at all or if it’d been better if he said something else.

“You’re very welcome,” Steve then replied after a beat, a smile still on his face before he saw Bucky glance up at him with an unreadable expression. He was looking him over like he was trying to find some kind of indication for something, but it seemed like he found nothing and then just stayed silent as they continued down the pier and continued eating their ice cream.

\--------------------

After a few hours of strolling around, they headed back towards the trailer where they grabbed their collection of pennies for the penny-slot games and gathered spare coins for bigger games, the ones with tickets and then they headed up to the bigger arcade, the one they went to the day before.

It wasn't as full though, probably because there was this big Halloween event in the marketplace that night. It was almost completely empty, save for a few older families with no children, no young ones anyway. There were a few older couples and a few younger with a baby in a carry-cot and few families with older kids, teen years. And then there were Steve and Bucky, who immediately started playing games.

There was this one that had balloons, one big one that grew depending on how many points you got from a timed press the button. Dead center was a picture of a popping balloon, a One-Hit and they both hit the  _ Instant-Pop _ in two different rounds, which gave them Five-hundred points each. That was a thousand between them already and that was incredible. They’d both been grinning.

Most of the night had gone on like that with many different games and activities. It was great fun and he could see Bucky smiling almost every time he’d glanced over. And like the last two nights in the arcades, some of the games didn’t give out tickets, but that didn’t stop them from playing.

Note to self, Bucky is formidable on Mario Kart. There were three races on one track and he was ahead for every one of them. They were sat in the kart chairs, the pedals under the big screen and a wheel in front of them and he was ahead constantly. They’d played a few rounds over and over, back to back and Bucky didn’t fall back in any of them. He’d been close, but he was sure that was just Bucky giving him a chance to knock him down with a Red Shell or the Boom Cube.

But nope, Bucky flew ahead.

Also, there was this game from a tv show known as the Walking Dead. A first person shooter on a big screen with a co-op option. It was… fun… in a way, but Kids should really not be playing that game. There was so much blood and violence that even Steve was mildly disturbed by it. Bucky seemed completely fine with it, but that was Bucky, he didn’t really care about rating. Didn’t back then and clearly didn’t know either.


	4. Chapter 4

Bucky hadn’t really noticed until the next morning that he and Steve seemed to gravitate closer through the nights. They’d both been sharing the centre of the bed that morning, both still facing away from each other, but they were much closer, enough that all bucky had to do was arch his waist and there’d be contact.

He’d gotten out of bed without a word and made coffee after stepping into the kitchen, his mind still a tad tired after getting up a little earlier than usual, but it wasn’t new. He’d immediately get used to the time if it happened again. He rarely ever slept, so his sleeping pattern was already screwed up.

He made the coffee and sat down, skipping through channels until he found… something… and then gradually took sips of his drink until it was just warm. Steve had appeared during that time and was looking around as if he was looking for something in the kitchen.

“We don’t have bread,” the Captain huffed. Was that even a necessity? Did they need that? Bucky quirked a brow at him and turned the volume of the tv down to listen, to show that he had his attention. “You think you’ll be okay while I go out and get some?” Steve glanced over his shoulder at him and Bucky gave him a flat stare.

“I’m not gonna attack some guy if they knock on our door,” that was meant as a joke, but the grimace on Steve’s face as Bucky assumed he registered what was actually said between them.

“I didn’t mean-,” Bucky snorted and kicked a foot up onto the coffee table, earning a second of a disapproving glance from Steve.

“I know what you meant, don’t freak out,” Bucky replied, cutting him off slightly before continuing to relax on the couch, coffee still in hand. “I’ll be fine,” he shrugged, finishing the coffee and watching as Steve grabbed his own and downed it in a matter of seconds so that it wasn’t wasted before he left.

After a few moments of watching tv and hearing Steve fuss about in the other half of the trailer, the Captain emerged in casual clothing, a wallet in hand and being hidden in his pocket along with his phone and keys. He assumed that maybe he’d be taking the car since the town was a decent walk. He’d be gone longer if he didn’t take the car.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Steve said as he headed for the door, giving him a reassuring smile before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

He really did worry too much, but he wasn’t sure why at this point. Bucky didn’t do anything that warranted the concern anymore. All he ever really did now was follow him around and listen to him when he asked him to do something. He was with him most of the time and if he wasn’t, he was with Barton, who basically trained with him in the range and gym. It wasn’t like he freaked out from nightmares or attacked anyone anymore. He was actually pretty docile. Yeah, he still had nightmares, but he didn’t try to kill whoever tried to wake him anymore.

About half an hour later and with no sign of Steve, Bucky gradually became bored. Bucky and boredom never really ended well and that was when he found himself cleaning the entirety of the trailer, getting into every nook and cranny, trying to get at the dust and crumbs and whatever else was there. He even organized and shifted some furniture because he felt like it.

Everything was spotless, the dishes had been washed and he’d alphabetized the DVDs and CDs that they’d brought with them and even re-folded their clothes.

Even after all that, he was still bored, but thankfully, that’d been about the time that Steve returned. He’d heard the engine and headed for the door, opening it just as he saw the man’s figure blurred through the glass of the door. He shoved it open and stepped back, letting Steve through.

“Hey, you were waiting at the door for me?” he saw the grin and heard the laugh, watching his face as he looked into the room and stared. The smile faltered and he glanced around the room, eyeing everything over. It wasn’t like Bucky wanted his opinion on his cleaning spree. He didn’t really care, but the look on his face bemused him enough that it brought a smile to his lips, tugging at the corners. “What happened in here?” the Captain eventually asked, glancing towards him as he set the bags down hesitantly in the kitchen.

“Not just in here,” Bucky smirked as he leaned against the side of the couch near the kitchen, watching him while crossing his arms casually. “Did the bedroom and bathroom too,” he mentioned with a shrug.

“Did they  _ need _ cleaning?” Steve laughed lightly and started putting things away, still watching him every so often with a smile. Bucky may have felt some pride from the fact that he managed to surprise the man.

“Nope,” he even popped the P. “Was just… bored,” he replied simply, shrugging again and then stood, heading around to the kitchen to help stash things away. He immediately cut off any room for protests when he reached into the bag. There was more than just bread in there and that must’ve been the reason he took longer than necessary. He grabbed a few things and start putting them away, bumping into Steve as they reached for the same cupboard. They’d almost knocked heads and shared a short laugh.

\--------------------

He was  _ not _ obsessed. He didn’t care what Steve said, he wasn’t obsessed with this balloon game or the Mario Kart one. No. He wasn’t. He just really liked them to the point that he’d wasted a handful of dollars on them. At least one of them gave out tickets and he’d hit the jackpot three times, which gave them five hundred tickets each time. That right there is one thousand and five hundred tickets.

It was all about timing and he’d hit it perfectly each time.

“Okay, so maybe we play something else and then come back to it?” Steve gave him a knowing stare, a smile on his face and Bucky tried not to protest, not wanting to seem obsessed. Because he wasn’t… He wasn’t obsessed… 

Steve took him towards this other game, a weird looking one. It didn’t seem all that complicated. It seemed like a simple enough game to play. It was a claw thing. Plushies would be won if you could pick one up and drag it over to the hole.

Steve insisted that Bucky have the first try and they put the cash in, the soldier stepping up to the controls and he stood there, hands on the gear stick and button, ready to play. He waited a moment, trying to pick out a plushy that seemed like it’d be the easiest to grab. He chose and then drew the claw over, staring intently and then let it lower. A few tense seconds and the claw wrapped around the things body, keeping a hold for all of a few seconds.

It dropped and he knew for a fact that the claw inched open to let it. He knew that the game was a sham. He growled under his breath.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll beat it,” Steve said from behind him and Bucky stepped aside to let him have a go. A few seconds and then claw was moving again for the same one that Bucky had just grabbed. And again, it fell each time.

By this point, they’d spent a handful and it was Bucky’s turn again. He huffed and stared at the same plushy they’d been inching towards the hole. He was persistent and he was damn sure that they’d be leaving with this damn toy.

He took a breath, frowning at the claw and drew it over, lowering it, but unlike the last rounds, he wrapped it around the things oddly shaped head. It held for the second and lifted, the plushy going with it and even when it opened an inch,  _ -because the game was a piece of shit scam-, _ it didn’t fall. It held tight and then hit the hole, dropping into it.

There was a moment of shock and then they both jumped, turning towards each other with grins and Steve was the first to wrap an arm around him, Bucky following suit without even thinking. They were both bouncing and cheering to themselves with beaming smiles, gradually calming but still laughing.

“Oh, thank god. I thought we’d spend another twenty bucks on that,” Steve huffed breathlessly like he’d been holding it in that whole time. It wouldn’t surprise him. Bucky was sure he did too.

“If anything would make me lose it on this vacation, it’s this thing,” Bucky laughed some and practically leaned against the Captain to catch his breath. Things became a little quiet after that, the two seeming to realize their position. 

They didn’t pull back immediately though. Bucky didn’t look up at him. He simply lingered and then pocketed his hand before unlacing his arm from around the Captain, but Steve was even slower to lose the contact. He lingered much longer before  _ -reluctantly- _ pulling back and heading over to the hole where the plushy was.

It wasn’t small. It was a big claw game, so the plushy was just as huge. It was about half the size of Bucky, probably a bit bigger. It was a purple dragon from some game. The tag said  _ ‘Spyro’. _

Steve looked it over and then suddenly held it out for him, a smile on his face. It seemed much more real now. The smile, not the dragon. Bucky stared at the other man, his expression unreadable. The soldier was having an internal conflict and he wasn’t even sure what it was about.

He saw the smile falter when Bucky hadn’t taken the dragon straight away, but it returned when he reached out and held it by the arm and horn on its head. What was he meant to do with this thing? He stared the thing over but smiled.

“I wanted to win it for you,” Steve mentioned, looking up from the dragon to Bucky and Bucky stared, his mouth opening slightly.

“Why?” he asked obliviously, not really sure why he’d want to win him something. Wasn’t that only a relationship thing? It was like that back in their time. The boyfriend won the dame a toy or plushy or whatever and the girl would get all happy and giddy about it. Was it the same in this time? If so, then why did Steve win it for  _ him? _

“Really can’t figure that out?” that was rhetorical. Bucky eyed him, raising a brow and Steve just casually directed him back towards the balloon game that Bucky was obsessed-  _ WASN’T _ obsessed with.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve suggested that they have a lazy day where they basically didn’t do anything and just watched tv for most of it. And they did, Bucky had sat still in one spot since they both sat down and the only times he moved were when it was his turn to make the coffee.

The Soldier had gotten up for a shower too, but only because he didn’t want to sit still for too long. He grabbed a towel from the bedroom and headed for the bathroom, opening and closing doors behind him. He pulled the curtain closed in the bathroom and set the towel down. He reached into the shower and turned the knob until water shot out and closed the glass door so that he didn’t cover the floor in water and then gradually started stripping himself, from shirt to pants and underwear.

Bucky waited a few minutes and then stepped into the shower, letting it wash over him and warm him up. His hair was immediately drenched and he just simply stood there for a few minutes, just letting himself get wet before thinking about actually using soap and shampoo. It was all there waiting to be used after Steve unpacked for them on the first day.

He reached out for the soap and started washing himself down with it, suds spreading everywhere and gradually sinking down on his body as the water took it. Next was the shampoo and that was a tad more irritating because of the length, having to use almost a quarter of the bottle just to actually get most of his hair covered in the stuff. He really needed it cut. Maybe he could ask Steve later.

He was fast about it, getting himself soaped up and then rinsing it out and making sure he caught it all before simply standing and relaxing there, the heat steaming up the room, coating the window and mirror across from the shower and the shower doors themselves. And for a moment, he reached a finger up and drew a smiley face on the steamed up glass.

Another few long minutes and he reluctantly turned the scalding water off, shaking his head and squeezing his hair into a bun so that the water leaked. He opened the door and stepped out, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his waist. He grabbed his clothes and opened the bathroom door and then the bedroom door, closing both behind him and then he entered his room.

His heart skipped and he took a swift step back when he saw someone in the bedroom. He soon realized that it was Steve and he hid his defensive stance before the other soldier turned around with a smile.

“Hey, enjoy your shower?” he was grinning, seeming to have not seen his actions. Bucky smiled back and dropped the clothes at the bottom of the bed, stepping around to his side for the closet so that he could grab some clean clothes. Lounge clothes anyway. There wasn’t any point in putting jeans on.

“I did, yeah. Not as good as the showers at the Tower, but Stark basically made them, so they don’t actually count,” in his books anyway. Whatever Stark made was obviously going to be better than anything, so it was out of the comparing pool by default. 

“Better than the ones back at the Barracks?” Bucky knew for a fact that he was testing his memory, wanting to be sure if Bucky had memories of that time and he knew that Steve hadn’t realized that Bucky figured it out, that he was testing him.

“During World War Two? Hell yeah, better than those pieces of crap,” they both shared a laugh there and Bucky reached into the cupboard to grab underwear, a vest and lounge pants. He was fine with wearing vests now. Steve didn’t stare, nor did he make comments or make it obvious that he was uncomfortable with the arm. Honestly, he thought that Steve was still uncomfortable with it, but not as much anymore. There wasn’t anything he could do about it, neither of them, so they’d have to deal.

“Just a hose hanging over a makeshift shower tent,” Steve laughed again, drawing one from Bucky. The soldier was still laughing as he dropped the things on the bed and started patting his legs down through the towel. He knew that Steve could see the scars on his torso, but there was no staring or comments, so he was thankful.

Without really thinking, Bucky grabbed the towel and took it off, starting to dry himself down. There wasn’t really any consideration for modesty or Steve because Steve had seen men naked. He knew that Steve had because Bucky did. Those very showers back in the Barracks covered nothing. There was no consideration back then either and Bucky and Steve had seen each other naked so many times growing up. So Steve seeing him naked didn’t concern him at all.

He dried himself down fast and then rubbed his face and hair with the towel, his eyes opening to see Steve staring… like… actually  _ staring at him. _ Crap, did this worry him? What was he staring at? Did he have a big scar somewhere he wasn’t aware of? Did Hydra do something?

Bucky took a quick glance over himself but saw nothing that he hadn’t seen before, after Hydra anyway. He looked himself over and then glanced back up at Steve. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape and he’d swallowed.

“Steve?” at his name, Steve snapped to awareness and Bucky quirked both brows at him expectantly, but Steve only shook his head and cleared his throat, glancing away like he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. It was when the other man grabbed whatever he was in the room to grab and turning away towards the door that he saw the growing red tint on his face.

Steve was then gone, door closing and Bucky was left there, standing naked in the bedroom with a towel in hand and he was just… confused wasn’t even the right word. He had a feeling that he knew why Steve acted like that, but there was just so many questions now and Bucky didn’t know  _ what _ to ask him, let alone  _ how _ to ask.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day and it was the same. They didn’t do much but look around and take in the scenery and even then, Steve was taking photos. A lot of them. They just walked around, saw some sites and ate out. It was nice, simple. There wasn’t much going on and it was easy, something he wanted regularly.

When they got back, they had a few minutes to relax, both of them sitting down and taking a load off. Bucky continuously glanced over to the other man. He hadn’t said a thing about what happened yesterday and it didn’t so much worry him as it did interest him. He wanted to know why he was red in the cheeks when Bucky was there naked. It wasn’t like Steve hadn’t seen him naked before and back then he didn’t turn red like that. Yeah, he ranted about decency and covering up, but that was it. There was none of that this time, just red cheeks and flustering.

Bucky wanted to test a few theories he had, but he wasn’t sure how to go about them. The ideas were simpler when he’d first thought them up, but now there were so many actions to execute and it just seemed like too much effort to actually try and get the information out of him when he could just ask.

He’d had a thought that maybe since Bucky was physically scarred all over, it’d just made it uncomfortable to see for Steve, to see all the damage that was done, but he hadn’t really stared at any of the scars when he was naked. He’d looked at him as a whole and he’d seen his scars before. It had to do with him being completely nude, but he’d seen him naked years ago, during WWII and he hadn’t really ever turned that red in the face, so he wasn’t too sure.

He doubted that it was shame because it was Bucky that had stripped and Steve was neither ashamed of him or embarrassed by him because he’d been in the privacy that was their bedroom when he stripped himself down.

So it’d been something that Steve either saw or there was something that drew him and he himself had been embarrassed that he saw Bucky nake-...

Bucky swallowed and turned to stare at Steve for a moment, eyeing him carefully. The Captain was reclined limply, just stretched out on the couch with his boots up on the coffee table, his head dropped back on the back of the sofa and his eyes were closed. He seemed so content and completely absorbed in the peace.

He wasn’t sure if Steve even realized that he’d needed this break too. He’d been so focused on Bucky that he probably didn’t think that he needed just as much of a breather from everything.

The Soldier was silent, still staring for a moment longer before shifting closer, making sure that he didn’t jostle the other man as he snuck closer and relaxed against both him and the sofa, leaning into his side, his own eyes closing and head dropping against Steve’s shoulder. There was a twitch, the Captain’s body flinching, and he felt the man’s head lift. There was a long moment of stillness and silence, his breathing fast and stuttery, but it calmed fast. He assumed once he’d realized that it was Bucky, he chilled.

His breath eased and his body relaxed again, an arm easily slipping behind Bucky and reached out along the back of the sofa.

\--------------------

A few hours later and they were standing at the trailer park edge, where a long path stretched out along the very edge of the beach where the water was coming in. It was dark out, no one there. He heard nothing, no indication that there was life nearby. It was just simply the two of them staring out into the darkness that shrouded the ocean and engulfed the beach in black. It was peaceful, more so than in the trailer. It wasn’t too cold and he’d barely felt it anyway. 

It was nice, calm, silent and peaceful and he could see that Steve was thinking the same as he was close. The other man was standing at his side, physical contact almost mandatory between them. It was almost unnecessary of how close they actually were, and Bucky initiated it. He’d been the one that stepped closer so that there was some physical contact and Steve seemed more than happy to embrace it, leaning in as well.

After a few minutes of just that, Steve and Bucky returned to the trailer, both still close enough that their shoulders and arms were pressed. Once they were inside and relaxing on the sofa, Bucky was back to leaning in against him, basically using him as a body pillow and there was no protest from Steve whatsoever.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun was blearing down on the sand, on the ocean, on the two of them and it was nice. Bucky wasn’t hiding from it and it made Steve smile to see that he was finally relaxed and seemed happy. Seeing him happy made Steve happy.

The Captain smiled as he watched the Soldier, watched him lie there, taking in the sun and heat from the beach. He was wearing board shorts and a t-shirt. His metal arm had a skin sleeve on, thanks to Stark and his consideration. It seemed to make Bucky happy, and like he’s said, a happy Bucky made a happy Steve.

He’d been so focused on him, wanting him to smile and to keep him happy. It was sad seeing Bucky all tense and stiff and quiet and just… not Bucky. It was hard, but he knew that Bucky needed this. He did and he was clearly right about it because he’d unwound over the last few days. 

There was actual physical contact now, Bucky starting it sometimes and it didn’t bother him like it used to. Back at the Tower, a simple brush of clothing and he was immediately stiff and tense, but now he was all relaxed and even initiated the contact between them. It made him smile to finally be able to sling an arm around his shoulders again and be able to hug him. They’d hugged that morning, Bucky letting Steve draw him into a brotherly hold when Bucky said something funny. He was even joking again and that was so great. His chest heated up so fast.

They were currently sitting on a bench along the beach, just a few feet from the sand and they were enjoying the warmth before the cold took over a little later, when it’d start getting dark again. 

Talking about later, there were meant to be firework being set. He wasn't sure how Bucky would take them, but he was aware of them. It’d been Bucky that actually reminded him about them. He wasn’t really expecting the reaction towards them to be great. They were basically explosions of colour and the first time Steve saw more of them after de-icing, he almost jumped out of his skin. It was so abrupt and no warning. Would they have to take preemptive measures in case it triggered the Soldier or scared him?

Actually imagining Bucky jump and cuddle closer to Steve for protection was actually a very adorable thought. Sadly, he knew that Bucky wasn’t that kind of person. He’d probably flinch, but that would be it. There was less of a chance that he’d freak out.

\--------------------

Once it actually started getting darker, Steve suggested that they head up to the trailer to get jackets. They weren’t really sure what time the fireworks would start, so they decided to wrap up warm and just hang around on the decking. He knew that Bucky didn’t do well with crowds anymore and Steve wouldn’t force him to stand in the middle of a massive one just to watch a light up show. Besides, their trailer was pretty close to where they’d be set off.

“Hey, Steve… I ran outta shirts, so I stole yours,” Steve shook his head and looked up from the magazine he’d been reading while waiting on Bucky. He wanted them to be warm, so he even went as far as to have them both change into warmer shirts for under their jackets.

“How could you run out of shirts? I made sure we brought extr-...as…” he stared at the other man, eyeing him over thoroughly. The guy was wearing his dark green long sleeve shirt and it was practically hanging off of him. The sleeves were over his knuckles and the neck was wider, enough that he could see the soldier’s collarbones and it was hanging over his hips, a huge fit. There wasn’t that much of a difference in size, was there?

“Save the starin’ for the fireworks, Steve,” at the sentence, Steve snapped back to attention, having not actually realized that he’d been staring that intently.

“I wasn’t staring,” he defended without a beat between them. He watched as Bucky walked in, a casual swagger in his step and another jacket in hand. He seemed almost at home in his clothes and no one would hear complaining from Steve. He looked good in his clothes.

“Bullshit,” as soon as he’d said it, Steve huffed disapprovingly and shook his head, staring at him with something between an authoritative and fond expression. It was good to see Bucky as Bucky again, but he really hadn’t missed the potty mouth that accompanied him. He was waiting on the dirty jokes and  _ ‘I do what I want’ _ attitude.

“Language, Buck,” he sighed, half a smirk on his lips as he watched the man slip his jacket on. They were both dressed warmly now at least. They could hang around on the porch now, waiting for the light show.

“I was speaking English,” he pointed out obviously and with a chuckle to his tone, music to Steve’s ears. “Better that than cursing in Russian,” Bucky quirked a humorous brow as he headed towards the door.

Steve stepped forward and stopped him, hands reaching out to zip his jacket up. It’d help him stay warm if there was no way the heat could get out. He knew that Bucky was aware enough to know that, so why leave the zipper open.

“Doesn’t make it any better,” he stated obviously and pulled the zip up, cutting off anyway the warmth could leave the soldier. There was a smirk on his face when Steve looked back up at him, like what he’d done had just answered something for him. He shook his head again and then reached out for the door handle, opening the door to let Bucky out first.

“Punk,” he heard the other man comment fondly, the smile still on his face and it drew a surprised chuckle from Steve. He hadn’t heard that in a really long time and it made his chest swell with heat. 

“Jerk,” he replied swiftly, hearing a laugh leave Bucky as they both headed over to the porch railing, leaning against it and staring in the direction of where the lights were meant to be exploding in the sky.

\--------------------

Bucky had flinched when the lights first blew up, he’d been tense for a few long moments before actually settling down and leaning against the railing and Steve both. They were beautiful and bright, not like back in their time when they were rare. It was because they were rare that the shows were big. They were better in the 40’s, something to look forward to.

But something that made both those light shows and these ones so great was that Steve was still there, at his side, watching them with him. He missed it all, missed actually being there with Steve, like really  _ being there. _

Bucky took a stealthy glance to his side to see that Steve was engrossed in the bright explosions, eyes wide with excitement and wonder and he couldn’t get over how drawing he was. He was so happy. When was the last time he saw him that happy?

The soldier continued to watch him, seeing the colours blowing up and the hue dancing on his best friends face. It was all so beautiful and he just couldn’t help himself.

Bucky turned around so that he was facing him fully and saw that he drew Steve’s attention. There was a questioning frown on his face for a moment until Bucky reached up, wrapping an arm around his neck to draw him in.

A moment of complete silence and he connected their lips in a sweet, lingering, warm kiss, their lips moulding together like a long-awaited puzzle piece being pressed together. It was warm, so warm. And soft. He could feel Steve’s arms lacing his back and waist, holding him closer, their chests colliding and pressing closer.

It felt like he’d waited so long for this like it was right for him and Steve like it was a  _ meant to be _ thing.

There were more explosions in the background, lights blowing up and lighting up everything around them. They seemed louder than before, but he took no notice as he enveloped himself in Steve, taking in everything about the man as they just simply held each other. His eyes had closed, his breathing deepened and he was as warm as he could be wrapped in the Captain.

Though eventually, oxygen was needed and they mutually broke the kiss, both lightly panting with their breaths commingling between them, their foreheads butting softly.

“What was that about?” he heard Steve ask softly, his voice a tad deeper than before and Bucky opened his eyes just slightly to gaze at him, his pupils more than likely slightly dilated because Steve’s definitely was. Only a sliver of blue could be seen around the blacks of his eyes.

“Felt right,” was his simple and curt reply. He saw the question in the Captain’s eyes, but before he could ask or say anything else, Bucky shut him up with another kiss, immediately cutting off anything that would’ve been said.


End file.
